Whether you follow Dr Tim Spector’s advice and have two or three cups of coffee a day for your gut health, or you live off builder’s brew, the chances are that you probably can’t imagine going a day without caffeine. It’s a brilliant chemical that gets us feeling ready for the day ahead, motivated mid-morning and pepped up when energy inevitably falls later in the day. But in recent years, we’ve heard more and more wellness types condemn caffeine and the consumption of caffeinated drinks – especially coffee. Remember when our social media accounts were awash with ‘experts’ warning against drinking coffee on an empty stomach?

Of course, you can have too much of a good thing. We know that the health benefits of coffee stop after about four cups. But tea –the drink millions of Brits drink from dawn ‘till dusk? Well, that seems to get away with far less bad press. Is that because tea contains less caffeine than coffee?

One of the main reasons people turn to tea and coffee is that it keeps them feeling awake and switched on. This, holistic nutritionist Cheryl Telfer says, is because caffeine “blocks the effects of adenosine – a neurotransmitter that relaxes the brain and makes you feel tired.”

Studies have found that coffee drinkers tend to walk an average of 1,000 steps a day more than non-coffee drinkers, thanks to its caffeine content. We also know that caffeine can act as a kind of performance enhancer. Many of us who run or gym turn to coffee before heading out for that extra boost; caffeine’s the main ingredient in pre-workout supplements. 

And, of course, plants that are naturally caffeinated come with their own health benefits. Coffee is great for gut health thanks to the fact that it’s the byproduct of a fermented bean. It’s rich in polyphenols and fibre. Tea tends to be high in flavanols – chemicals known to help reduce high blood pressure and protect heart health.

But that latter point suggests that tea and coffee are healthy in spite of their caffeine content. We know, for example, that coffee is an exceptionally good gut drink, whether you drink it standard or decaf. 

Even coffee devotee Dr Spector says that he tends to have a couple of cups of caffeinated coffee in the morning and then switches to decaf in the afternoon. The chemical has a long shelf-life (around six hours) so if you tend to head to bed around 10pm, you really want to stop consuming the stuff before 4pm. 

In some people “too much caffeine can trigger mood changes, headaches, insomnia, digestive upset, and impact heart rate and blood pressure levels,” says registered nutritionist Clarissa Lenherr. She explains that some of us can sleep immediately after consuming caffeine but others will struggle hours later, and that’s because of a range of factors, including your genes and liver enzymes. “Those influence how quickly or slowly you metabolise and clear out caffeine,” she explains.

There’s also the fact that, as with any other substance, we can build up a tolerance to caffeine. Telfer says that “after a while, the body requires more and more caffeine to produce the same effects of alertness,” which in turn increases your chances of experiencing the negative side effects.

Now onto the main question: just how caffeinated is tea?

The answer isn’t a simple one, says Lenherr. It all depends on the type, preparation and source of tea, she says. “White tea has the least caffeine while matcha green tea has the highest,” she says.  “The longer your tea is stewed in hot water, the higher the amounts of caffeine.”

And link tea, the levels of caffeine in coffee also depend on the preparation. Lenherr explains that “freshly brewed coffee contains the highest amount of caffeine, followed by espresso and then instant coffee”.

Moving away from the preparation, Telfer says that “tea leaves contain around 3.5% caffeine, while coffee beans have 1.1-2.2.% caffeine.” That might sound like tea is far more caffeinated, but that doesn’t mean your cup offers a bigger boost because of the way coffee is brewed. To make an Americano, you need to use more beans than tea leaves and often, it involves piping hot water – whether via a percolator, cafetiere or machine. Tea, on the other hand, uses far fewer leaves in a bag which inevitably gets removed before milk is added. 

Fundamentally, tea and coffee are different drinks that offer different benefits and effects. The general advise, however, is the same: try to stick with up to four cups of the stuff a day. 

Images: Getty